Can't say I hate the Doggies. Can say I ever have. I wish them well and the best I could say would be that they do so well that one day I do hate them!

In fact this match could be a beginning of such hate. I have no doubt the Doggies are on the up. They have talent and their bodies are getting stronger - they also now have a coach that has a vision of how he wants the game played - sound familiar?

Could it be that a rivalry is about to be born, a rivalry born out of two strong young teams racing each other to the top of the mountain?

I must be frank and say I had much more confidence going into last week's match than this one. I think Melbourne are like that famous little girl - when she's good she's very good and when she's bad she's terrible!

The Doggies though, they will bite week inand week out under Eade. Its a hallmark of his coaching. Performances to be relied upon.

So where do I think we can win it? Truthfully I think we are capable of kicking more goals than them. That's it. I think we may match up well against each other everywhere else, but I do think we will kick more goals. It's just that I have faith in our twin towers and I have a love of the Pagan gameplan. In the end I think we will kick more because this side risks more.

Now sometimes this is not going to work, especially this year and maybe next as this young side comes to grips with the demands this gameplan makes upon them. Sometimes they'll not kick the goals, sometimes I can se ethem becoming frustrated and losing the pot because they cannot get the run going. That will be the test this saturday I think. Can they get the run going? Or will the doggies muzzle us?

Both sides can be happy so far but neither side wants to lose here. A final beckons and for young sides a final, even a whizzfizz final is important. pressure is like gold. Real pressure teaches more than a thousand torturous training sessions ever can.

My blood is dancinjg in my veins today, my legs are on the move and in the distant valleys of my mind I hear the siren beckoning. Tommorrow as the sun ses over melbourne my son and I will make that pilgramege to TD and watch the blubaggers pout it on again.

I expect a tight conterst. But I think in the third we'll kick clear and hang on for another win.

The bluebaggers by fifteen points.

Go Blues!

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I'd like to know how that sits with Deano's pledge to make the Dogs his second team......

_________________
And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

what does Frank think about this?


but good work again DB - i have come to expect nothing less.

_________________
Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

I want Lance to kick 8 just like that glorious day at Princes Park.

My mum is a Bulldogs supporter so like Deano have a soft spot for them BUT don't think I have ever been angrier than the day they beat us at home when the free kick count was laughable. Hated Libba so much then - footy is a funny game.

_________________
"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

Danny. Thanks for the post. The reason why this sites a winner!

On an earlier post I talked about how great it is to watch the way this team plays and totally agree with what you say about us kicking more goals!

Such a change from the past few years when limiting the loss was how we played.

I may not hate the doggies but I hate playing them. They always seem to upset us when we are favoured to win. Never seems to matter about ladder position with them.

the Bullies are dangerous and not to be underestimated particularly now they have a decent coach in Eade.
Really quick the dogs and this tends to trouble us.
Underestimated the dogs last year at PP where we played like millionaires for most of the first 3 quarters and then stopped I reckon it was our most disappointing loss last year
Having said that if weplay to our capacity should beat the dogs

True Frank - and listening to Rohan Smith on the radio the other night it was pretty clear the Bulldogs are going all out to make the grand final. Not to be underestimated at all.

_________________
"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

What, like Scott Howell III ????

_________________
"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

thought it was more like Lovey in the last quarter of the match

Sat morning and I'm as nervous as all hell - which is a good thing - it means we are in with a chance - fair dinkum the last few years the butterflies in my guts have been cacooned away without hope of seeing daylight or victory!

But today, today the little blighters have chewed through the hard grizzle of draft **** selections and old hacks acting like prima donas.

They have stretched out their young, bright wings and are giving my stomach a fair whack!

I have high hopes for the lads this game and this season. I expect wins again!!!

I expect to beat the Doggies tonight in a tight clash where both sides will be searching for the weak link to exploit. For mine it'll be thier backline. I think we can kick 16 tonight! They'll struggle to kick that many.

So while the butterflies kamikazee in my guts and everything seems flat and bland I'm just waiting for that walk to the ground, that buzz of voices and high hopes,that first glorious blare of the siren and to sit and watch (and scream like a stuck pig) our boys book 'emselves a birth in the WizzFizzGF next week, at the Dome! Laughing

Go Blues!

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I've got a good feeling about tonight...

Me too Chucky, me too.

Doggies might be my second team, but I hope we belt 'em

_________________
Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

My thoughts are simple. The Dogs have beaten two teams that were way under strength, flooded there backliine to minimise the score and kicked bugger all goals themselves.

The only way we will lose this game is in our heads mentally. We are a better side than the Bulldogs and if we are to make the finals this season, this is one of those games that we are expected to win.

Thrash them or close I don't care, as long as we kick 14 goals and win....

I have to admit, I'm as jumpy as a virgin on my first date.
What does it mean? I have no idea but excitement is building and that can only be a good thing.

I disagree.

Plenty to hate about the scraggers!

How about libba (then) and his scratch and claw approach to the game. How they always seemed to king hit us at PP, their supporters were and remain feral, that full back with the gloves, our loss at the western obval (1.16 as I recall - someone spat at Parkin that day!!).

You only don't hate them 'cos they weren't a threat.

Plenty to hate about them I say.

Let's kick their arses right back to the kennel.

_________________
"Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost

I reckon there are reasons to hate all opposition clubs.

What about in 2000 when the Dogs beat us at PP. We went into the game with 13 wins in a row and they got up after a crap free kick to Garlick.

I'm looking forward to a win tonight. We should manage the 14 goals to get the GF here in Melbourne but if the Dogs flood that will not be easy.

_________________
We're getting closer to 17

hey 16,

hear hear!

_________________
"Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost

Article from the Bulldogs POV in today's Australian - lhttp://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12443315%255E36035,00.html